A guy writes about finding an old beat-up rocket on a farm. It was made in the 1950 to promote the Rocky Jones TV show. Old sci-fi rocket found at farm junk sale.
The farmer had hoped to restore the rocket but never got around to it. The child who won the rocket and his friends pretty much trashed the interior, the instruments are broken and the years of rain have rusted the rear bottom (near the fins) out. The shell body and doors are still amazingly strong and could be fixed without too much effort. The interior is in fantastic shape compared to the exterior. The owner has collected electrical equipment over the years, which can be seen in some of the shots, also he has new fluorescent lights for repairing the interior lighting. [Boing Boing]
How to Make a Guerrilla Documentary. Can a quick release and a team of lawyers keep Fox from trying to shut down Robert Greenwald’s new movie about Fox News? Grass Roots filmmaking and distribution options for documentary filmmakers. By Robert Boynton. [The New York Times: Movies]
LaCie introduces 1.6 terabyte Bigger Disk Extreme. LaCie has expanded its line of hard drives with the introduction of the Bigger Disk Extreme, which offers up to 1.6 terabytes of storage with the fastest speeds on the market. Finally, digital filmmakers are getting the storage they need at the speeds we want! [MacMinute]
“Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.”
Frank Zappa (1940 – 1993)
U.S. Musician
“It is easier to exclude harmful passions than to rule them, and to deny them admittance than to control them after they have been admitted.”
Seneca (5 BC – 65)
Roman Philosopher
“We work in the dark — we do what we can — we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art.”
Henry James (1843 – 1916)
U.S. Author
The weekend is always devoted to something silly, so here’s a photo I found in San Francisco years ago and have been carrying around ever since. As a Photoshop teacher, I always love to see good retouching. Kudos to Michael Huhn.
Of course, sites like Worth1000 demonstrate just how much can be done with a big idea and little knowledge of Photoshop. I also enjoy the Veer’s Photoshop Lightboxing for inventive ways of creating images. (Thanks Brandi!)
“You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.”
Jeannette Rankin (1880 – 1973)
U.S. Politician
“Those whom the Gods would destroy, they first call promising.”
Cyril Connolly (1903 – 1974)
Irish Author
“At a certain point, potential becomes a liability.”
Shirley Dion (unknown)
Wise Woman
The announcement of the winning screenwriter and director for Project Greenlight #3 will be made on July 13. It will be exciting to watch the making of another independent film.
Last summer we watched the making of The Battle of Shaker Heights, written by the lovely Erica Beeney. (According to IMDB Pro, she’s currently represented by ICM so it appears that she got some sort of career out of the experience.)
The directors, Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin were (or were edited to be) a whining, sniveling, passive-aggressive, covert train wreck. IMDB shows no representation nor industry projects.
Pete Jones of PGL#1 has also seen a tepid career develop from his PGL experience. We’ll see how this year’s contestants fare. Their problems and triumphs make for great viewing AND even better learning.
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”
e e cummings (1894 – 1962)
U.S. Poet
“One had better not rush, otherwise dung comes out rather than creative work.”
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860 – 1904)
Russian Playwright
I returned from my midwest vacation on Sunday. My week in the land of cheese, ice cream and butter was punctuated by my Mom’s emergency quadruple bypass surgery. (My Dad had the same procedure two years ago and I know what I’ll be doing in a few years if there’s any truth to genetic destiny.) So, my return to Phoenix (and my blog) was delayed. Regardless, I’m baaaaaack now and ready to get to work!
There’s a great website/blog for independent HD production. HD for Indies covers equipment, technical issues like codecs and production concerns. Terrific stuff!
For the visually inclined, there’s Cinematography.Net because we all know that it’s about the moving pictures not the poorly lit talking heads. The companion to cinematography is lighting and DV Creators has a bunch of great information and products you can order.
Finally, I’m really enjoying using Final Cut Pro (best money I ever spent!) and the companion programs Soundtrack, Compressor and LiveType. I haven’t bonded with Garage Band yet. I just don’t like it … yet. We’ll see if I get over it. Anyway, there’s a great Final Cut Pro Users Group.
“The most onerous slavery is to be a slave to oneself.”
Seneca (5 BC – 65)
Roman Philosopher
“Trust me that as I ignore all law to help the slave, so will I ignore it all to protect an enslaved woman.”
Susan B. Anthony (1820 – 1906)
U.S. suffragist
